Rock News

Everly Brothers' Phil Everly dead at 74

Phil Everly of the sibling singing duo the Everly Brothers has died. Everly's wife Patti tells The Los Angeles Times the singer passed away Friday in Burbank, California of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD.

Patti says the family is "absolutely heartbroken," adding that Phil's lung condition was brought on by a lifetime of cigarette smoking. He was 74.

With his older brother Don, Everly helped shape the rock and roll era of music, charting almost three dozen hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Everly Brothers' song classics include, among others, "Wake Up Little Suzie," "Bye Bye Love," "When Will I Be Loved" and "All I Have To Do Is Dream." The Everly Brothers were among the first acts to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In addition to his wife, Phil is survived by his brother Don, their mother, two sons and two granddaughters. The Times says funeral services will be private.